I wanted to ask what people's opinions are on dogs in public. Our own views are skewed by our own experiences. There is no right or wrong answer. Maybe a tortoise forum full of people who love pets isn't the most subjective place to get an answer, but this is what I've got since I really don't do any other type of social media.
I own a lot of dogs, and I like to take them with me just about everywhere I can. I enjoy their company. My job has me traveling all over the world, and my dogs ride in first class next to me after going through airport security lines and what not. "Celebrity" dogs is how we do this. It started with the Target dog back around the turn of the century, and now we do it with all of them because its easier, cheaper, and better in every way than trying to do it cargo anymore. If you've seen the recent trailer for "Aurthur the King", those are my dogs snarling in the alley. We flew from L.A. to Miami, and then from Miami to the Dominican Republic to film that.
Here are the Target dogs flying to do a commercial in NYC:
Here are the mals flying to GA to do the Walking Dead:
Here is the typical hotel sleeping arrangement:
So my view on this subject may be just a little biased. I may tend to see this issue a little differently than the norm. I don't mind well behaved dogs in public. I like seeing people with their dogs in stores, around town, just about anywhere. I really hate the places that are off-limits for dogs.
What is prompting this question is something that happened tonight. I took my wife to dinner and there was another party of four there, and one of the two couples had brought their small, well-behaved dog to the restaurant. The hostess politely explained the law to them, but they clearly didn't like it. I shook my head thinking that everyone knows you can't bring a dog into a restaurant, unless it is a service dog of course, so why did these people even try it? And why did they argue when the hostess told them the dog was not allowed? I had three dogs out in the car that I would have loved to bring in with me, but I knew not to.
But this begged a different question in my mind... As we walked to our table, I was bummed that their dog couldn't be with them. The dog was on a leash, quiet, well-adjusted, and causing no harm to anyone. I can understand not having dogs lick food off the table, or going potty in the restaurant, or being ill-mannered in any way, but why can't we have our dogs eat out with us? They eat with us at home. I have one dog that politely pulls up a chair and sits at the dinner table with us while we eat every night at home. He's perfectly behaved and knows his table manners well.
I know some people don't like dogs. So what? We all have to tolerate each other's idiosyncrasies. I have to tolerate stinky smokers, obnoxious children, grossly obese people, perfume and cologne, loud and obnoxious adults, rude and inconsiderate people, and a whole list of other things that I don't like. Is it really that much of an imposition to other people if there is a silent dog obediently laying or walking by my side?
My general question to anyone who cares to chime in is this: How do you feel about people taking their dogs into public places? I further question: Is our society/country too restrictive on this matter? Should we loosen up some of these laws and rules? Am I totally out of touch with reality because of my profession and the things I do with animals on a daily basis? I see the people bring their dogs into Home Depot, Walmart, Costco, Sam's Club, and other places, so I'm clearly not the only one...
I own a lot of dogs, and I like to take them with me just about everywhere I can. I enjoy their company. My job has me traveling all over the world, and my dogs ride in first class next to me after going through airport security lines and what not. "Celebrity" dogs is how we do this. It started with the Target dog back around the turn of the century, and now we do it with all of them because its easier, cheaper, and better in every way than trying to do it cargo anymore. If you've seen the recent trailer for "Aurthur the King", those are my dogs snarling in the alley. We flew from L.A. to Miami, and then from Miami to the Dominican Republic to film that.
Here are the Target dogs flying to do a commercial in NYC:
Here are the mals flying to GA to do the Walking Dead:
Here is the typical hotel sleeping arrangement:
So my view on this subject may be just a little biased. I may tend to see this issue a little differently than the norm. I don't mind well behaved dogs in public. I like seeing people with their dogs in stores, around town, just about anywhere. I really hate the places that are off-limits for dogs.
What is prompting this question is something that happened tonight. I took my wife to dinner and there was another party of four there, and one of the two couples had brought their small, well-behaved dog to the restaurant. The hostess politely explained the law to them, but they clearly didn't like it. I shook my head thinking that everyone knows you can't bring a dog into a restaurant, unless it is a service dog of course, so why did these people even try it? And why did they argue when the hostess told them the dog was not allowed? I had three dogs out in the car that I would have loved to bring in with me, but I knew not to.
But this begged a different question in my mind... As we walked to our table, I was bummed that their dog couldn't be with them. The dog was on a leash, quiet, well-adjusted, and causing no harm to anyone. I can understand not having dogs lick food off the table, or going potty in the restaurant, or being ill-mannered in any way, but why can't we have our dogs eat out with us? They eat with us at home. I have one dog that politely pulls up a chair and sits at the dinner table with us while we eat every night at home. He's perfectly behaved and knows his table manners well.
I know some people don't like dogs. So what? We all have to tolerate each other's idiosyncrasies. I have to tolerate stinky smokers, obnoxious children, grossly obese people, perfume and cologne, loud and obnoxious adults, rude and inconsiderate people, and a whole list of other things that I don't like. Is it really that much of an imposition to other people if there is a silent dog obediently laying or walking by my side?
My general question to anyone who cares to chime in is this: How do you feel about people taking their dogs into public places? I further question: Is our society/country too restrictive on this matter? Should we loosen up some of these laws and rules? Am I totally out of touch with reality because of my profession and the things I do with animals on a daily basis? I see the people bring their dogs into Home Depot, Walmart, Costco, Sam's Club, and other places, so I'm clearly not the only one...